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Barack Obama's contentious healthcare plans reach a key stage, with the Senate set to vote on its version of the bill.
US set for Senate vote on healthcare reform

Senators will vote on the bill early on Christmas Eve
US senators are preparing to vote on the final Senate version of a historic healthcare reform bill.

The legislation aims to cover 31 million uninsured Americans and could lead to the biggest change in US healthcare in decades.

President Barack Obama said the process had been "difficult" but that the final bill was "greatly worthy of support".

If approved, it would still have to be reconciled with a more expansive bill passed by the House of Representatives.

Opposition Republicans say the Senate bill is expensive, authoritarian and a threat to civil liberties.


BILLS: KEY DIFFERENCES
Public option: House yes, Senate no
Abortion: House bill has stricter restrictions on federal funding
How to pay for reform: House relies heavily on income tax increase for high-earning Americans; Senate bill taxes high-cost health insurance plans


Healthcare bills compared
Senators are due to vote on the bill at 0700 Washington time (1200 GMT) on Thursday and correspondents say it is almost certain to be passed.

Healthcare reform has been the key domestic policy of Mr Obama's administration but finalising the details of the proposed bills has been a lengthy and complex process.

On Wednesday, the bill passed the last of three procedural votes in the Senate, with Democrats collecting the 60 votes needed to bring an end to Republican delaying tactics.

Mr Obama said he was determined to "close the deal" soon.

"Right now there are families who don't

US healthcare bills: House v Senate
Reform of the US healthcare system is a priority issue for President Barack Obama but lawmakers in Congress have been finding it difficult to agree on a bill to implement reform.

The House of Representatives passed its bill on 7 November, while the Senate has entered its final phase of debate and voting on its version of reform.

The substantial differences between the two bills will have to be squared or "reconciled" into an agreed version before President Obama can sign the legislation into law.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SENATE

Date passed

7 November Not yet approved

Cost

$1,052bn over 10 years $871bn over 10 years


Reduce deficit

By $138bn between 2010-2019 By $132bn between 2010-2019


Public option - gov't scheme to compete with private insurers

Yes No


Insurance exchange - to compare policies and prices

National insurance exchange No national insurance exchange, states can form regional exchanges


Expand insurance - to increase number of Americans insured

36 million gain coverage (leaving 18 million uninsured) 31 million gain coverage (leaving 23 million uninsured)


Individual mandate - Must people have insurance?

Yes (2.5% tax penalty if don't obtain health care) Yes, $95 per person penalty in 2014, rising to 2% of households income in 2016+


Abortion


Health care plans could choose whether to cover abortion. But public plan would not provide abortion coverage Limits on use of public money for abortion services


Firms required to provide coverage?

Yes.
For companies with annual payroll of $500,000+ No explicit requirement but tax credits for offering a scheme


Taxes , spending cuts - how system will be paid for


5.4% surtax on people earning $500,000+ annually; 2.5% tax on medical devices
cut $404 out of projected growth of Medicare and other federal programmes 0.9% increase on Medicare payroll tax for people earning over $200,000
10% on indoor tanning beds; taxes on medical devices
cut $483bn out of Medicare and other federal programmes



Medicaid & Medicare

Covers everyone with incomes less than 150% of the poverty level (ie $33,075 for a family of four) Covers everyone with incomes less than 133% of poverty level (ie $29,327 for a family of four)


Guaranteeing access to health insurance

Premiums for older people cannot be more than twice those for younger people. Companies stripped of anti-trust exemption that has protected firms from federal investigations.
Price-fixing outlawed. Premiums for older people cannot be more than three times those for younger people. Insurers competing in new exchanges must justify increases.